Much better than expected
by aD1990
Summary: Deleted scene from episode 13 season 5. Spoilers. My take on what happens between the moment when the brothers find Castiel weakened and the moment when Dean exits the motel. Special guest star! (Worried!Dean / injured!Castiel Team Free Will family moment) Slight Destiel if you wanna see it that way! D


**Much better than expected**

**Warning**: Spoilers for season 5 (especially episode 13)

This is a deleted scene from season 5 episode 13 in which Castiel brings Sam and Dean back in time so they can stop Anna from killing their parents. What happens between the moment when Dean and Sam find themselves with an unconscious Cas on their arms and when Dean exits the motel? Here's my take on the answer. Hope you'll like it! Slight destiel if you want to see it that way :)

And there's a special guest star appearance! I'm betting you will never find out who! =D

* * *

Dean was observing the tight features of the seemingly unconscious Angel. Blood was slowly dripping from his parted lips and his body would have fallen on the ground if it weren't for the two Winchester brothers who were holding him tight, as if they were clinging to his life, refusing to let him go. Time travel, as Castiel had feared, had drained him to an extent Dean would never have suspected despite the numerous warnings of the Angel and the latter's apparent reluctancy to take the Winchesters with him. But Dean, too stubborn, had ignored the warnings and had unconsciously asked Castiel to sacrifice himself for them. And of course, as always, the Angel had willingly obeyed, regardless of the consequences -which, it appears, Castiel originally believed would be more disastrous than they truly were. _"I'm much better than I expected"_ endlessly rang in Dean's mind as he watched the blood drip from the angelic mouth of his youngest brother and closest friend.

"Jeez, Cas..." he whispered through gritted teeth.

"What are we gonna do?" Sam asked, looking at Dean worriedly.

"We gotta take him somewhere safe, where no one can find him. He needs rest, right now."

Sam nodded, tightening his grip on Castiel's right arm and shoulder. The seated position the Angel was in made it difficult for the Winchesters to hold him up right. "We gotta take him away from the street, anyway," the younger Winchester approved, feeling the passers-by's gaze on them.

"Hey, this is 1978. Anything could happen in those years. Friggin' hippies..." Dean tried to reassure Sam.

"Excuse me?" they heard and turned around. "Does your friend need any help?" a middle-aged man offered. He was dark-haired, seemingly friendly, and was sporting a mustache -this was what struck Sam most of all, he just couldn't get his eyes off the damn mustache. Dean squinted slowly. There was just something about the stranger that seemed familiar. But damn, that mustache made it difficult to know what...

The stranger cleared is throat, sensing he was the target of both the brothers' inquisitive eyes. "Well?" he asked, frowning and tilting his head to one side.

And that was it, it struck Dean like lighting. Even the voice was pretty similar. "Jesus, Mary, Joseph..." he mumbled, understanding why this man seemed so familiar to him.

"Excuse me?" the man asked, failing to understand why Dean was cursing while looking at him.

Dean forced himself to smile, and it seemed so fake that the man raised his eyebrows. The older Winchester looked at Sammy who appeared to be observing the mustache and not the steely blue eyes of the man.

"Right," Dean said, feeling that he the silence was becoming more than uncomfortable to the man. "Our friend's going to be alright," he added, trying to hide Castiel's face by standing in front of the Angel, still resting unconsciously against the car.

"Have we met?" the man asked, wondering why Dean and Sam were so intensely observing him.

"No..." Dean chuckled. "Can I just...ask you your name?"

"George. George Novak. Why?"

Dean smiled, not even really knowing why. After all, Castiel was _not_ Jimmy Novak, he was merely borrowing the vessel, but Castiel seemed to fit so well in Jimmy that Dean could no longer tell them apart. To Dean, Jimmy's face was Castiel's true visage. He could not picture Castiel out of Jimmy. So meeting Jimmy's grandfather -or father- felt like he had met his own ancestor. "Thanks for offering your help, Sir," he finally said, holding out his hand for Grandpa Novak to shake it.

"You're welcome...I guess..." Novak answered, frowning in a very Castiel way and shaking the hand. "Look, I hate to be a bother, but this is my car your drunk pal is leaning on, so could you please move so I can go?"

"Oh, it's your car?"

"It is."

"Right, we're so sorry, it'll only take a few minutes! Sam, grab his arm!" The brothers eventually managed to get Castiel to stand up, his arms draped over their shoulders so he wouldn't fall back down.

"Thanks," the Novak ancestor said before scrutinizing Castiel's face. Fortunately, his face was partly hidden, as the unconscious head was bent forward. "You kids should go easy on...well...on whatever you're taking."

Dean forced another smile. "Gotcha! Will do, Sir! Take it easy!" he said as Novak started his engine and drove away.

Once he was gone, Dean turned to Sammy, whose mouth was wide open in bewilderment. "What the hell was that?" the younger brother asked.

"That, Sammy, was Cas' grandpa. Err, I mean Jimmy's... Whatever!"

"And what the hell was he doing in Lawrence?"

"How the hell should I know? It's not like I'm an expert in the Novaks history! He _really_ looked like him, though..."

"Yeah! I guess we've just had a glimpse of what would Cas look like if he had a mustache...," Sam said with a giggle.

"Yeah! Friggin' mustaches..." Dean looked back at Castiel, still unconscious. "Guess we better get him to a motel room, then. He's been bleeding on the street long enough already."

Sam nodded.

"Alright, hold him," Dean ordered Sam as he let go Cas' left arm.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, panicked, as he was left on his own to hold the unconscious Angel up.

"I'm just gonna wipe the blood off his lips and cheeks. Can't take him to a motel like that..." He explained, taking a tissue out of his pocket. He held Cas' head up with his left hand and cleaned him with his right.

Castiel slowly and lazily opened his eyes and gazed at Dean, whose hand was firmly holding his cheeks. "Dean...?" he whispered, his voice hoarse from the couching.

"Cas?" the brothers said at once. "Cas, it's gonna be alright!" Dean went on, smiling at him. "Just...hang in there," he added, slowly stroking his cheek fondly.

"We're going to take care of you Cas, don't worry," Sam added, tightening his grip around the Angel's waist.

Castiel slowly smiled, feeling perfectly safe in the arms of his two favorite humans, the ones he now considered to be his family. His brothers. Closer and dearer to him than most Angels were. He slowly drifted back into unconsciousness, his mind at peace, knowing the brothers would be there for him.

He sagged in Sam's arms and the latter had to brace him up high.

"Alright," Dean said as he put Cas' left arm around his shoulders. "You can let go, Sammy, I've got this. I'll get him a room in the hotel right there. Meanwhile, you get Mom and dad's address, okay?"

"Right. I'll be right here, by the phone booth."

"Got it," Dean said as he started to walk towards the _Prairie Court Motel_, almost carrying the unconscious Castiel. "Hi, there," he told the hotel manager, waiting behind the counter.

"Hello, Sir!" the other man answered, looking up from the book he was reading. Dean recognized the cherished _Born to be Wild_ tune playing on the motel's radio. Oh, weren't those years were fruitful, musically speaking.

"Yeah, I'd like a room."

"Is your buddy alright?" the guy asked. He looked a lot like John Lennon during his bed-in years. Long hair, small round glasses, huge beard... the whole shebang. Dean just loved to actually meet people like that. He loved how they didn't care about dress codes and simply enjoyed living. _Damn, if Cas doesn't wake up and we're stuck here, I'm definitely turning hippie!_

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine! Just had a bunch of drinks. No biggie."

"Oh, alright. I'm givin' you a nice cosy room with view on-"

"No, no, don't you have anything larger? Like, really really big? And fancy?"

"Well, this isn't a palace, but the honeymoon suite is the nicest and most spacious we've got."

"Gimme!"

"You got it..." Lennon said, gazing at Dean and Castiel as if he suspected something.

"We're not gay, just gimme the goddamn key, will ya?"

"Fine, whatever, man! Chill out!" He handed Dean the key. "Hey, wanna buy some dope, while you're at it?"

Dean raised his eyebrows in total stupefaction. "What? No! Hey, you wanna give me a hand with him? Can't climb the stairs with him being all unconscious."

"Right." The Lennon guy placed Castiel's left arm around his shoulders and they made it to the room in no time.

"Thanks, man," Dean said as Lennon opened the room and gave him the key.

Dean closed the door and went to the bed, placing Castiel gently on it. He felt relieved not to have to carry his deadweight anymore. Much as the Angel was light, he had been carrying him for a while now and his shoulders were beginning to feel sore. He put a pillow under Cas' head who seemed deeply asleep. Dean looked at him for a little while and laid his hand on Cas'. It seemed unusually cold, but then again he didn't think it meant anything, for Angels weren't supposed to get sick. He sighed and whispered "you get some rest, now, Cas. Sam and I, we'll handle Anna. And then we'll be back for you." He then put his hand on the Angel's forehead and caressed his cheek.

"We'll be back."

* * *

**Author's note: Everytime you review, Sam gives a hug to Castiel!**


End file.
